RC 261105Kaya 959Phemelo Motene
Thursday, 5 November 2026
Early local election counts show the DA leading Johannesburg, Tshwane and Ekurhuleni without a majority, so coalition talks and the ANC's slide dominated the night.
- 20:07
The DA is leading Johannesburg with projections near 31 to 32 percent, so it would need roughly 18 more percentage points to govern alone, making coalition talks unavoidable.
- 20:18
Professor Steven Friedman says that if projections hold, the ANC plus the EFF and MK, parties that came out of its base, would fall below 50 percent combined for the first time.
- 20:38
ActionSA chair Michael Bormann says Herman Mashaba's objection is to Helen Zille personally rather than the DA itself, and that ActionSA is open to negotiating with any party.
- 20:55
MK's spokesperson said the party went into this election aiming for an outright majority rather than a coalition, and would only consider partners that share its ideology.
- 21:22
Analyst Tessa Dooms says turnout is close to 16 million, and Gauteng outvoted KZN for the first time, with a disproportionate share of voters coming from middle-class suburbs.